Yup-Madonna wants to Touch Mariah's Body and not in the good way. Be afraid Mimi, be very afraid!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Madonna Is Ready To Kick Some Ass Part II
Yup-Madonna wants to Touch Mariah's Body and not in the good way. Be afraid Mimi, be very afraid! 
Janet Jackson -Kids Choice Awards (3.22.08)
A healthy Janet Jackson (she's had a nasty flu the last couple of weeks) made an appearance Saturday night at the 2008 Kids Choice Awards. Kids need discipline and Janet was there to serve it!
The Easter Bunny Is Eating My Candy
OK- I know Easter has come and gone, but I stumbled onto this short film that I found bloody brilliant. So instead of waiting all the way to next Easter, I thought I would post this gem now:http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/bdtv/1794
Enjoy!
Friday, March 28, 2008
The Trouble With Magic-Madelyn Alt (2006)
This is the 1st Installment of The Bewitching Mystery SeriesStarted: 3/26/2008
Ended: 4/19/2008
Synopsis:
Closing in on The Big Three-Oh and feeling the pain, struggling small town single girl Maggie O'Neill stands at the crossroads of life. She's spent the majority of her by-and-large uneventful life following the rules laid down by others (society, religion, and, most importantly, her mother) and has depressingly little to show for it. So when a chance meeting brings a job offer from the owner of a fashionably upscale gift shop, Maggie jumps at this unexpected opportunity to bring about a new season of change to her otherwise boring lifestyle. Even the revelation that the owner proclaims herself a modern-day witch doesn't give her much pause. She decides she could use a little magic in her life.
Things get complicated as Maggie begins to experience strange, unexplained occurrences on her own, and she must decide whether to trust her admittedly left-of-center boss and the local ghosthunter group or the mundane teachings of science and society. When her new boss is accused of murder and it becomes painfully clear that this goodhearted witch will never receive a fair shake in conservative Stony Mill, Maggie bravely sets out to learn the truth, for better or for worse. As she locks horns with a suspicious cop, a slick politico, ex-lovers, and the less-than-forthcoming members of the victim's own family, poor Maggie is left to wonder:
How much of what we're allowed to see is real . . . and how much illusion? This story takes place in the month of October.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WARNING-SPOILERS BELOW<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Characters:
Maggie O'Neill: 29 y/o local of the small Midwestern town-Stony Mill, Indiana; round face with flyaway shoulder-length brown hair; hazel eyes; pale yet glowing complexion; worked in a collections job until her boss (aka The Toad) fired her for tardiness; accepts job offer at Enchantments, hoping to find direction in her life; owns a 1972 temperamental Bug that she calls Christine; loves books; works to make ends meet; fond of Wal-Mart and regularly shops there for clothes; not good with confrontation; lives in a large Victorian classic that has been broken apart into 3 decent-sized apartments; lives in the dismal converted basement apartment; obsessed with watching Magnum PI; has a brother named Marshall; once engaged to Joby Turner but it ended on a sour note and a bed of lies and recrimination; one night while alone in her apartment, she hears her name called out and instantly feels frigid air while smelling a distinct lavender scent; freaked out she runs upstairs to Steff's apartment; attends Isabella's graveside memorial with Steff to check out who came and who didn't; during the service notices Reverend Baxter Martin hiding behind a tree some distance away; while heading back to her car, she hears/feels someone calling to her and urging her back to the gravesite and into the Mausoleum; inside she hears voices repeating the words, murder, murder and then, my letters, my letters... and she collapses in shock; somehow Felicity had sensed she was in trouble and shows up, trying to calm her down; after she tells Felicity & Steff about all the weird shit she has been experiencing lately, Felicity urges her to come meet some of her friends of N.I.G.H.T.S; Felicity believes her to be clairsentient, an empath, capable of feeling the emotions of others; able to listen to a person and tell if they are lying by some inherent sense
Melanie: Maggie's younger sister (by 5 years); lives in Buckingham West, an upper-class subdivision; married to a prominent lawyer (Greg); has two young girls; judgemental of Maggie, much like their mother
The O'Neils: Maggie's parents; live in an ancient, two-story farmhouse that once belonged to her grandparents with Grandpa Gordon; Maggie's father-in his fifties and getting ready to retire; works as an accountant at Seabreeze Enterprises, a manufacturer of pleasure crafts; can't wait to retire ever since his boss's son, Roger Foley, has been running the business into the ground
Felicity Dow (aka Liss): Proprietress of Enchantments, Antiques and Fine Gifts; has sleek coppery hair, liberally streaked with silver; has twinkling blue eyes and wears a pair of half-moon spectacles around her neck by a long silver chain; eccentric and somewhere in her 40's; hands are adorned with many rings; wears elegant clothes and drives a low-slung black Lexus; after Maggie stumbles into her store to escape the rain, she offers her a job as her assistant; strong-willed, stubborn and independent; has not really talked with her sister, Isabella, since her husband, Gerald Dow, passed away; hears whispers (spirits) that try and guide her; spearheads a research group that investigates paranormal encounters; most townsfolk think of her to have a questionable background and immediately believe her to be guilty of murdering her sister; the police seem to be amassing evidence against her; eventually she is arrested when they are able to link a bullet slug taken from a drive-by shooting to the actual gun used; the gun was from her late husband's gun collection which the police found during the search warrant of her house
Enchantments, Antiques and Fine Gifts: Fashionably upscale gift/antique store on River Street, the oldest thoroughfare in the county; has hardwood floors; has an upstairs room (loft)that covers the entire shoppe and is filled with books on witchcraft; many of Felicity's witch friends come and meet at the loft on a weekly basis; Maggie is surprised by most members as they have kept their "hobbies" in anonymity
The Gables: Felicity's enormous home situated by a screen of trees and reminiscent of an old English manor, complete with mellow brick and Gothic-styled windows; manor had belonged to her deceased husband; located on Victoria Park Road (a former Indian Trail), a winding country road that meandered through farm fields and pockets of deep woods; expensive property surrounded by elaborate limestone and iron fencing with grand security gates; right next door is another grand mansion that Felicity's sister, Isabella, lives in
Marcus Quinn: Felicity's friend; Maggie suspects they are lovers; early 20's; has a long rangy body with dark wavy hair that falls down below his shoulders; covered head to toe in sleek black leather; Maggie thinks he looks dark, dangerous & sexy; has intense blue eyes that he covers with black sunglasses; drives a motorcycle; direct and opinionated; has a tattoo of a stylized Celtic knot with a star at it's center on his arm; on the morning of the murder when he accompanied Felicity over to Isabella's house, he saw something in the woods next to her property-a flash of movement; later he told Maggie he felt an energy signature of someone with very strong emotions in the woods; aunt is Marian the librarian; was in the military (intelligence)
Deputy Tom Fielding: Mid-30's; has arms of steel and grey green eyes; married; intense; informs Maggie that her boss has been picked up for questioning about the death of Isabella Harding; Maggie & Steff went to school with his younger sister, Marla; asks Maggie out on a date and reveals to her that he is separated from his wife for 2 years now; his wife served him divorce papers 3 months ago because she was involved with another man and wanted to move on with her life; forgot about his wedding ring-wears it more out of habit; Maggie skeptically agrees to go out with him but does not trust his intentions; is he really interested in her or is he using her to gather info on Felicity?Isabella Harding: DEAD: Felicity's estranged sister; wife of one of the richest men in town; on the morning of her murder, she had called Felicity, stating she was having trouble of the paranormal persuasion (sounds, sense of being watched, of not being alone); when Felicity rushed over to her house, she found her sister still warm lying crumpled and broken at the base of the stairs with a pool of blood spreading beneath her head; police stated that the injuries to the head were not solely the result of the fall, but from a localized blunt force trauma (she was hit in the head); rumors of bad blood between the sisters because she supposedly had fucked Felicity's husband; has one adult daughter who was out of town on business while the murder occurred; on the hospital's board of directors; was pushing for a woman's clinic that would provide family planning, pregnancy-testing and abortions; met opposition to her ideas and projects; after the viewing of her body, she was cremated; Felicity became furious when she learned that her sister had been cremated since her sister was terrified of fire and would never had allowed it; Maggie was able to get a breakdown of her will (from Tom) and who would benefit from her fortune (some to the husband, more to the daughter and a sizable donation to the hospital toward a certain project); Maggie also found out that all of Isabella's teabags were laced with Rohypnol (the date-rape drug); apparently she was drinking laced tea the morning of her murder; of course the special tea bags were imports and only sold at one location in Stony Mill-Enchantments!; yet more evidence the police use to lock up Felicity
Helen Bradden: Soft-eyed teacher at Riverview Elementary; Maggie used to have her in the 2nd grade; friends with Felicity and apparently a witch Marian Tabor: Head librarian at the Stony Mill Carnegie Library; close friends with Maggie's mother and hence always seems to know intimate details of Maggie's life; notoriously sharp-tongued; a plus-sized woman but always wears leopard print clothing and has a sharp eye for the male body; nephew turns out to be Marcus Quinn; did some research at the library on behalf of Maggie; found out 1.) back in '91 when Harding Enterprises first officially opened, Isabella was named as the owner and Jeremy named only as the CEO (apparently Isabella was the one who had the power and was in control); 2.) came across an old photo of the Harding family from '93 that showed a young man next to Jacqui named Justin Marsh (who came from a very wealthy family in Stony Mill)
Stephanie Marie Evans (aka Steff): Maggie's lifelong best friend; lives upstairs from Maggie; has known Maggie for some 18 & 1/2 years; RN at the local hospital; gregarious, fun and full of life; single; mother is a interior decorator;has green eyes with auburn curly hair that falls heavily to just below the shoulder; dating a doctor (Daniel) from work; while out on a date with Dr. Danny, spots Ryan Davidson with Jetta James at a local make-out spot called the Sunken gardens; informs Maggie of what she saw
Jim Cowpin: Police Officer; a Stony Hill alum from the class of '88
Margo Dickerson-Craig: Maggie's high school tormentor and arch nemesis; lives on the same street and is friend's with Maggie's sister, Melanie; married to the editor-in-chief for The Gazette
Jane Churchill: Lives on the same street and is friend's with Maggie's sister; married to an attorney that work's in the same firm with Greg
Annie Miller: Proprietor of the recently opened Annie-Thing Good Cafe; has a round face with strawberry-colored hair; middle-aged with some gray prominently showing in her hair; short but with high energy; dresses in a hippy sort of fashion; one of Felicity's witch friends (aka N.I.G.H.T.S. member); is clairauditory(hears spirit voices) and can also sense the energy spirits give off
Anna:Maggie's imaginary friend when she was a young girl; an old woman with long hair and a funny accent; would tell Maggie stories about faraway people & places
Cecil: Animal totem of Felicity's family; a dog spirit guardian that roams The Gables; had followed Felicity when she moved to the States; one night Maggie hears him outside her room when she stayed over at Felicity's
Grandma Cora: Maggie's deceased grandmother; prayer and badgering was her answer to everything
Grandpa Gordon: Suffers from emphysema and therefore has to carry an oxygen tank by his side; lives with Maggie's parents in a little apartment tacked onto the back of the garage in order to accommodate his electric motor-chair; calls Maggie- "Maggie-May-I"
Jeremy Harding: Isabella's husband; tall, confident and in good shape; attractive, well-dressed and shallow; has a tasteful dash of silver in his thick black hair; Felicity believes he was unfaithful to her sister; despises Felicity and asks her to leave Isabella's viewing; fucking his assistant, Jetta; at the time of the murder was in a business meeting with 6 other prominent members of the Stony Mill Society; although he has a tight alibi, Maggie still suspects he is involved and may have hired someone to kill his wife
Jacquilyn Harding: Isabella's daughter; has shoulder-length ash blonde hair; has a cold, formal and subdued demeanor; is quite apparent with her disapproval of Felicity and her store; was out of town on a business trip for her father; one night shows up at Enchantments and surprises Maggie who is working late; lies to Maggie and tells her that she is there to pick up a few things on behalf of her Aunt who is in jail; the spirits tip Maggie off and she tries to escape until Jacqui pulls a gun on her; confesses to killing her mother because Isabella kept sleeping with all of her boyfriends; from her high-school boyfriends (Justin) to her present day fiance, Roger; Maggie is able to push her down a short flight of stairs and the police come and take her away
Jetta James: Jeremy's personal assistant (aka fuck buddy); mid-30's; leggy blonde with permed curls teased high; striking in a hard sort of way (white trash), but wears expensive clothes & jewelry; big tits; has no alibi for the day of Isabella's murder; she had taken a vacation day and was not at work; Maggie witnesses a suspicious conversation between Jetta and Jacqui concerning her car rental bill and the outrageous amount; Jacqui tells her it was a mistake but she will pay for it nonetheless
Ryan Davidson: Acted as legal counsel for the hospital's board of directors for the last 4 years; tall, tanned (fake) and well-dressed; smokes and is a slick-talker; has a prep school flip to his hair and exudes a smooth, unruffled confidence; Maggie meets him at Isabella's viewing and he tells her that Isabella and him were business colleagues; considered Isabella fearless and unstoppable when it came to her projects; stated Isabella never took no for an answer; also reveals to Maggie that when Isabella presented her ideas 2 weeks ago, they were leaked to outsiders by an unknown source; has ambitions to take a seat in Congress; stated that Isabella was his benefactor and primary supporter; at the time of the murder was attending a deposition on behalf of the hospital; survived a drive-by shooting at his house by person unknown; a bullet slug was taken from the wall of his house so that the lab could analyze it; turns out the slug came from a antique gun found in Felicity's house; Felicity's late husband had collected guns
Reverend Baxter Martin: Opposed Isabella's projects and was always trying to stir up trouble against her; became obsessed and would even hold petitions against Isabella, who finally had to take a restraining order against him; disappeared for a time and when he came back to Stony Mill he kept to himself; Isabella also had him removed from his ministry a few years back for unwanted sexual advances; apparently he would strongly hit on her while she and Jeremy attended church; also has an alibi for Isabella's murder-was volunteering at Blackridge school, giving spiritual guidance to the boys held as wards of the state
Roger Foley: Jacquilyn's fiance; Steff briefly dated him last summer; after a few dates realized what a player he was and stopped seeing him; later learned he was actually engaged during the time they dated; stocky; Jacqui's "Yes"-boy
Dr. Daniel Tucker: New intern at the hospital; fresh from med school in Massachusetts; dating Steff
Mrs. Henderson: Maggie's parents' nosy next-door neighbor
N.I.G.H.T.S (aka Northeast Indiana Ghost Hunting & Tracking Society): Felicity's group that does not actually remove spirits (unless there is no other way), but promote a peaceful coexistence between the spirit world and the physical world
Joe Ames: N.I.G.H.T.S. member; tall and built like an aging football jock; owns a hog-farming operation; has a degree in psychology; seems to have a knack for attracting ghosts
Devin McAllister: N.I.G.H.T.S. member; is whipcord-thin frame and wears Lennon-style wire glasses; has messy blonde hair and an overly intelligent face; goes to school at Grace (a religious college); puts out a paper called The Speculator; is the combined editor, chief, writer, printer and mail boy for The Speculator
Evie Carpenter: N.I.G.H.T.S. member; delicate young girl with a dreamy, ethereal face and hair like spun sugar; still in high school
Genevieve Valmont: N.I.G.H.T.S. member; size of a large man and dressed like a lumberjack; former nun at Saint Vincent's in South Bend but believed she could do more good outside of the church and it's strict rules
Eli Yoder: N.I.G.H.T.S. member; Amish; has a beard and is Joe Ames neighbor
My Review: I was extremely disappointed in this book and will not continue on with the series. I admit it seemed promising in the beginning but just fell flat a quarter way in. First off I can't relate to any of the characters nor do I have the desire too. I really didn't like the main character, Maggie, who got on my nerves acting like a insecure, stupid high-school girl. But what disturbed me the most was her unwavering loyalty and desire for friendship with Felicity. Now, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't sit in a police station for hours on end or go to a funeral of a relative (when she despises funerals!) for my boss, especially if I'd only known her for a few days. Another scene that bothered me is where Maggie freaks out about her upcoming date with Tom and stands him up, by hiding out in her dark apartment and not answering the door. Maggie is written to be 28 years old yet acts like she is 13 through most of the book. Who the fuck does that? Stupid bitch deserves to be alone. The only thing positive I can say is that Alt is a fairly good writer and I did not spot any editing errors. Besides that, I do not recommend this book!
Book Score: 5/10
X-Files 2 Teaser Poster
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I was hoping for something that showcased Mulder & Scully more, but for a teaser it's pretty cool.
Britney Spears-The Comeback?
This photo was taken yesterday and it actually looks like Brit Brit may be getting her shit together. Only time will tell.
Flashback photo of Brit Brit playing "Hide-n-Seek" with the Paps in Target
Leone Lewis Scores First U.S. No.1 Hit!
Already a chart-topper in her native U.K., Leona Lewis scores her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 this week with “Bleeding Love,” which shot from #8 to #1. Leona now becomes the first British female artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 in more than 20 years. "Spirit" is due to hit the U.S. April 8th.
Madonna-Vanity Fair Cover Girl (May 2008)
The Queen! I think she looks AMAZING-one of her best magazine covers yet! Here is a look back at Madonna's past Vanity Fair covers:
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Further Tales Of The City - Armistead Maupin (1994)
3rd Installment of the Series
Started: 3/27/2008
Ended: 4/15/2008
Synopsis:
In Further Tales of the City, Mary Ann has landed a job at a local TV station and finds a story that might make her a reporter; Frannie mourns the apparent loss of her daughter DeDe and grandchildren in the tragedy at Jonestown, until she makes a shocking discovery; Michael dates several men, including a cop, a cowboy, and a movie star; and Prue falls in a love with a mysterious stranger living in a shack in Golden Gate Park. This novel picks up five years after "More Tales of the City".
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>WARNING-SPOILERS BELOW<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Characters:
Mona Ramsey: Moved to Seattle, WA the previous year because it was "The 80's"; only mentioned but does not appear in book
Mary Ann Singleton: Cleveland transplant, who is about to turn 30 y/o; host of "Bargain Matinee", a 5 minute spot during the daily movie matinee, giving consumer tips; yearns to be an investigative reporter for the evening news; dating Brian; sporting a new, shorter hair style now; invited by Frannie over to Halcyon Hill for Memorial Day and offered a PR position for the Halcyon family for 1 month; during this time, she must keep all information revealed to her a secret and will be paid $1K per week for the month; at the end of the month she will have an exclusive to the story; becomes engaged to Brian and they marry at the end of the book
Michael Tolliver (aka Mouse): Mary Ann's best friend; proficiently confidant, 31 y/o out & proud gay man, that has a sweet disposition and genuine compassion; 5'9 and not circumcised; from Orlando, Florida; manager of a nursery in the Richmond District called God's Green Earth for the last 3 years; member of the SF Gay Men's Chorus (GMC); broke up with Jon Fielding because they just did not have much in common and could not agree on anything; travels over to Hollywood when one of Ned's famous, closeted, actor friends (---- ------) invites them over for an "All Boys" weekend; ends up fucking ---- ------; after they get back to SF, both friends go on tour with the GMC; becomes involved with holding Bambi captive; both him & Brian are brutally attacked for being "faggots"; recovers and seems to reconcile with Jon at the end of the book; also I want to make note that the famous actor not named in the book (---- ------) was rumored to have been Rock Hudson and also rumored to have been lovers with Maupin
Anna Madrigal: Transsexual landlady of 28 Barbary Lane; 60 y/o; exotically - if not off-puttingly - regal, Anna fosters a maternal relationship with each of her tenants and calls the tenants her "children"; held Bambi captive in her basement for 3 days for Mary Ann
Brian Hawkins: Still a waiter at Perry's restaurant; dating Mary Ann; contemplating taking The Bar again to regain his status as lawyer; going through a mid-life crisis of sorts; becomes engaged to Mary Ann; both him & Michael are brutally attacked for being "faggots"; stabbed 3 times but recovers; marries Mary Ann in his hospital room that has been decorated as a garden
Jon Fielding:Gynecologist; lean with blond hair and blue eyes; down-to-earth and loving man; 33 y/o; lived with Michael for almost 3 years before they broke up; left SF and became the ship's doctor for the Sagafjord (Norwegian Cruise Line); after his latest cruise takes port in SF's harbor, he goes and visits Mrs. Madgrial at 28 Barbary Lane; Mrs. Madrigal notes he seems thinner, a little haggard even but still very handsome; visits with Michael as well and is invited to Mary Ann & Brain's wedding (which is planned to be held in the courtyard of Barbary Lane); at the end of the book - appears to reconcile with Michael
Ned Lockwood: Mouse's best friend; owner of God's Green Earth nursery; bald & brawny 42 y/o; fucked mouse twice back in '77 but just friends now; member of the SF Gay Men's Chorus; ex-lover is a famous closeted actor, ---- ------; helps Michael decorate Brian's hospital room as a garden for his wedding to Mary Ann
Archibald Anson Gidde: Realtor, one of the A-Gay's; broke up with Richard Evan Hampton who got their servant, Harold, in the divorce; has a new man-servant, Cleavon; tries to pick up Mouse at the nursery
Prue Giroux: Society columnist for Western Gentry; got the job after the previous columnist, Carson Callas, was arrested and convicted for indecent exposure charges; divorced; continues to receive alimony from her multi-millionaire ex-husband; blonde; approached by Frannie who believes her daughter is still alive and wants Prue to write about it; referred to as "Prudy Sue" by her closest friends; falls in love with Luke and is able to talk him into a cruise where they run into Frannie and her "orphan twins"; after Luke disappears with the twins, comes back to SF heartbroken; goes back to Luke's abandoned shack to search for clues and runs into him with the twins; Luke asks her to run away with "their family" and she agrees (only to placate him because she realizes how fucking crazy he is and wants to get the twins away from him); later that night after Luke leaves to go to Halcyon Hill, she takes the twins and escapes the shack; calls Emma to warn them that Luke is on his way over
Vuitton: Prue's 3 y/o Russian wolfhound; missing for nearly a week; takes up a temporary residence with Luke
Luke (aka Jim Jones, aka Mark): DEAD: Derelict living in a make-shift shaft in Golden Gate Park; Prue runs into him while searching for her missing dog; calls Vuitton, his new roommate, "Whitey"; has high cheekbones, a strong jawline, unusual amber-colored skin & longish dark hair; late 40's; invites Prue in to have some coffee; in tune with the environment and animals; has 3 chipmunks that live under his bed (Chipper, Jack & Dusty); revealed to Prue that he once had a congregation (but they left him) and before that was an investment banker; wants Prue to get back in touch with God; begins fucking Prue on a regular basis; Prue talks him into accompanying her on a cruise to Alaska; after a head to toe make-over with help from Father Paddy Starr, looks quite debonair; on the cruise has taken the name of Sean Starr and offers to babysit the twins for Frannie; during a shore excursion, ditches Prue and kidnaps the twins; kills two rabbits and skins them for their pelts which he gives to the twins to play with; goes to Halcyon Hill to "tie up loose ends" and is shot between the eyes by Emma; his body is buried by DeDe and Mary Ann in the backyard
Frannie Halcyon: Matriarch of Halcyon Hill; 64 y/o; mourns the deaths of her family(Edgar, Beauchamp, DeDe, Faust and her 2 grandchildren); partial to Mai Tais; after seeing a psychic (Miss Moonmeadow), believes DeDe is still alive and living in a small village in South America; while watching TV, notices Mary Ann and seeks her out to help find her daughter; one day when she is contemplating suicide by Vitamin Q & Mai Tai overdose, she receives a call from her daughter, who is alive; DeDe lets her know that she and her babies were still alive and being held by the government in Arkansas; invites Mary Ann over to Halcyon Hill on Memorial Day and offers her a PR position for the Halcyon family on a short-term basis (1 month); unsettled to learn that her daughter is gay but happy to have her home and alive and to have her grandchildren around (both 4 years of age now); DeDe urges her mother to take the twins on a two-week cruise to Alaska while she goes public with her story; during the cruise she not only runs into Prue and her gentlemen escort but into the ship's doctor, Jon Fielding; on the night that Luke visits Halcyon Hill, had taken several Quaaludes and passed out; unaware of what transpired in her own backyard; does not even realize she has a dead body buried in her garden
DeDe Halcyon: After giving birth to her half-Chinese twins, she fled to Guyana with D'orothea; became involved in the Jonestown Massacre and was believed dead; actually alive and held at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas by the government at a settlement camp for gay Cuban refugees; calls her mother and lets her know that not only is she and her babies alive but that she was gay; after traveling back to California, moves in with her mother at Halcyon Hill; requests that Mary Ann be brought to the house and offered a job to help DeDe tell her story; now slender, wiry and tanned with long, sun-bleached hair that flows down her back; tells Mary Ann that she, D'orothea & the twins joined The Temple in Guyana in 1977; Jones (aka Dad) had assigned her as a procurement officer for Jonestown and she would travel to neighboring cities to buy food and supplies; Jones also became obsessed with her twins, referring to them as his "third world wonders"; on one of her trips, the captain of the shrimp boat she used regularly told her about the 100 lb drum of potassium cyanide he had on board for Jones; later she and D'orothea planned their escape with the twins; they traveled to Havana, where they lived & worked for 2 & 1/2 years, until their lesbian relationship was made public and DeDe was shipped off to Fort Chaffee; has nightmares about Jim Jones; reveals to Mary Ann that she was raped by Jones and the reason she wanted to wait a month before going public was that she was trying to prove conclusively that Jones was really dead; after learning that her babies have been kidnapped, she & Mary Ann fly to Alaska to try and track them down; refuses to get the authorities involved because she fears that the twins will be harmed if not killed; finds evidence that Luke is heading to The Diomedes Islands and when they travel to both islands (Little & Big), they find no sign of Luke and the twins and head back to SF; after Luke had been killed; asks Mary Ann not to go public with the whole story, but to leave out the part that Jim Jones had actually lived and had come to SF; Mary Ann agrees and they bury Luke's body in the backyard garden
D'orothea Wilson: Choose to stay in Havana to act as a Socialist; at the end of the book, she calls DeDe from Miami and tells her that she is coming back to SF to be with her and the twinsEmma Ravenel: Frannie's maid/house servant; elderly, black and rail-thin; has worked for Frannie for years; shoots Luke between the eyes when he tries to enter Halcyon Hill
Larry Kenan: Asshole news director; won't allow Mary Ann to jump from daytime to evening television; rumored to be fucking Bambi
Bambi Kanetaka: Mary Ann's arch rival at the news studio; rumored to be fucking Larry; after Mary Ann runs out of the studio to fly to Alaska with DeDe, she finds her notes about DeDe and Jonestown; threatens to go public with the story, but Mary Ann is able to talk her into meeting with her at 28 Barbary Lane; once there she is held captive in the basement by Mrs. Madrigal, Michael & Brian (and later-Jon); once released, Mary Ann gives her the ultimatum that she either keeps her mouth shut about her kidnapping and they share the story or she takes it to another station by herself; agrees to keep her mouth shut
Victoria Lynch: Kindred spirits with Prue; engaged to the ex-husband of the woman engaged to Prue's ex-husband; in the process of organizing the world's 1st society wax museum in SF
Father Paddy Starr: Priest; friends with Prue; also works at the studio Mary Ann works at; hosts a late-night show, Honest To God; closeted gay; hangs out in the park cruising for cock; at the end of the book, Prue runs into him in the park, oblivious to his just consummated "activities" with Bill Rivera
Helena Parrish: Proprietress of Pinus; supplies Frannie with "Vitamin Q" (aka Quaaludes-downers)
Andrew Burke: Mentioned that he was now an associate editor at New York magazine
Guido: ---- ------'s houseman; diminutive, jockey-like man in his mid-sixties
Jennifer Rabinowitz: Ex-fuck buddy of Brian's; has huge breasts; fucks a mysterious man who calls himself John Smith
Bill Rivera: Cop that Mouse picks up at the Twin Peaks bar; built Latino with a large mustache and smoldering brown eyes; lives in a tiny studio that is blandly furnished; fucks Mouse; doesn't like people to sleep over; Mouse accepts and realizes that they are just fuck buddies and nothing more; neither one has anything in common with the other-except great sex; startles Prue inside the abandoned shack (she was searching for clues on where Luke might have run off too) in Golden Gate Park; refers to Luke as Mark; cruises for cock in the park and hooks-up with Father Paddy Star
The Imposter: Former Temple member who lived in SF; one of Jones' most devoted disciples; had serious mental problems; so serious that even Jones had refused him permission to participate in Jonestown; bore a really freaky resemblance to Jones and wanted to be him; one could barely tell the two men apart; when Jones became deathly ill (emphysema), his wife, Marceline, traveled to SF and begged for him to come and impersonate Jones; while Jones was away seeking medical treatment, he could maintain harmony and loyalty with the Temple members; DeDe escaped days before the mass suicide at Jonestown and is unsure whether the real Jones or his impostor committed suicide with the other Temple members
Claire McAllister: Fellow cruise-mate of Frannie; an ex-chorine of indeterminate age, with a chronic weakness for double entendres and racy jokes; has black hair and was involved in show business; currently married to the 3rd richest man in Oklahoma ( Jimbo)
Lionel: Biological father of DeDe's twins; now owns the grocery store where he used to be the delivery boy; only mentioned but does not appear in book
Willie Omiak: Eskimo bush pilot; flies Mary Ann & DeDe to Ingalu (a village in Little Diomedes) in his Cessna
Andy: Willie's cousin; served for the past 4 years as a National Guardsman (aka Eskimo Scout) on Little Diomedes; watches the border between Little (US) & Big Diomedes (Russia)My Review: I immensely enjoyed this book and thought it was the best of the series so far. Further Tales Of The City was much darker than the last two installments, but I found the plot lines less far-fetched and more believable. Maupin's wild and wacky sense of humor, the preposterous interweaving of the lives of these people, and his overwhelming love for nearly every character is evident on each page.I honestly have grown quite attached and fond of these characters and can't wait to continue my journey with this series. Next up: Babycakes!
Book Score: 9/10
Little Miss Sunshine Can Take Three
"Jodie showed me how to relax and take it in"Abigail Breslin was inducted into the Girl Scouts in what appears to be a publicity stunt for her new film, Nim’s Island, staring Jodie Foster.
Mario Lopez Comes Out with Fitness Book
Does anyone remember that shower scene on Nip/Tuck? Knockout Fitness hits bookstores May 13th
Friday, March 21, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
First Look: The WolfMan (2.13.2009)
Benicio Del Toro as The Wolfman. The remake is scheduled to hit theaters February 13, 2009
Jennifer Lopez - People Cover Girl (March 21, 2008)
Just like all the rest, she whores off her babies for that coveted People magazine cover (Lopez and husband Marc Anthony reportedly got up to $6M for snaps of the twins).
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